Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Review: Benefit "Stay Put" Set

Benefit "Stay Put" Set nicely packaged

I got this in my Sephora order a few weeks ago, and have been using it pretty steadily since. I am not going to lie... I love it!

So, I should start with the stats... This is little (yeah, it is quite little.) Every time I order from Sephora I always tell myself "It'll be smaller than you think" but then it gets here and I always end up thinking "It's smaller than I thought." As you can see in the photos below, all three products fit neatly in my hand (and I have been told I have small hands.) But for the $13 spent, this was well worth it.

The "homes" of the mini products

Surprisingly the Erase Paste is only 0.4 oz. smaller than full size

What you get are three mini versions of some rather popular Benefit products: Stay Don't Stray Primer, Erase Paste concealer, and Creaseless Creme Eyeshadow in R.S.V.P. I mainly bought this to try the Erase Paste, which I have wanted to try for quite some time, but haven't been so pumped about spending $35 for it.

The swatches

On to the actual review, shall we?

Stay Don't StrayThis primer is... well, go grab a thesaurus and look up the word good. Combine all words to make one super word. That is the level this primer is on. Now, I am skeptical of pretty much everything before I try it, and I was ready to not like this product. I am happy that I didn't have to (not like it, that is.) This primer is a bit more unique than your average eye primer as it can be used for "360 degree" application. Meaning, it can be used anywhere around the eye. On the lid to prime for eyeshadow and under the eye to prime for concealer. This is also a tinted product (love that!) and if you are on the pale side, such as myself, you can probably get away with a dab of this to perfect your lids on the days you don't want to wear too much makeup. I have thoroughly tested this product with Erase Paste and the cream shadow that came in the set. It is an excellent addition to Erase Paste, as I found when I used it without the primer I had some creasing issues. As for the creaseless shadow, you can probably skip the primer. I did and had virtually no creasing whatsoever. I used this primer with a few shadows I love, but crease. After a long days wear I was amazed that the primer was able to keep them in perfectly smooth and creaseless condition. The full size product is in a pump dispenser, while this mini version is styled like a lip gloss with a sponge tip. I like the sponge tip idea, as it is very easy to apply exactly how much you need... which isn't much, as a little goes a long way.

Erase PasteThe entire reason I bought this little trio. There was no option for shade choice in the set, so I ended up with medium no.2 even though I would have liked light no.1. I was a bit worried the colour would be too orange, as I have read a few reviews complaining about the colour. When I first opened it and swatched it on my hand it looked more like peach blush than concealer, but I was pleasantly surprised when I applied it on under my eyes and had a perfect match. With the name paste, I expected this concealer to be really thick and hard, but it is smoother and creamier and applies very easily. Much like the primer, you don't need much, and I have a feeling this little pot will last me quite a while. Without the primer under this product I did experience my fair share of creasing, so for the best results use a good primer first. I can't say how happy I am with how well this product covers. It looks like you've had a magnificent night's sleep and are perfectly rested (even when you totally aren't.) A great product!

Creaseless Creme Eyeshadow in R.S.V.PI have to say that I tend to avoid creme eyeshadows. Sure they may look great, be easy to apply, but they always crease. But wait, could it be true? You guessed it, this little gem is true to its name sake: it doesn't crease! I tried this product both with primer and without and had the same result both times; no creasing. The colour is a beigy-champagne colour with a hint of shimmer, a universal tone anyone can wear. I have been wearing it a lot since I got it, and like how you can change it up so easily by blending in another colour or using a uniquely coloured liner.

The idea of having so many "mini" options is ingenious, as it is such a safe way to try their products without spending a ton of money. I wish they had sets of the mini creme eyshadows. Their "mini" is actually pretty big considering how little you need. I'd like to try a few more colours, but at the $19 american each, I probably won't.

In Wal-Mart I picked up this little concealer brush for my Erase Paste, as my brush collection, while functional, did not include one. I picked this SpaRitual brush up for $2, and am really happy with the quality. I glanced at the back fast in the store and thought it said "made in Canada" bonus! But of course, when I got it home and read the fine print it actually said "designed in Canada" with "made in China" way below. Huh. Anyhow, the quality is pretty great. The bristles are smooth and soft, but firm enough to apply creme products. I even use this brush to apply creme eyeshadow (hey if it works, right?) I have already washed it a few times, and after drying it is just as nice as when I first took it out of the package. Overall, well worth the $2.

I once went to sephora and one of the ladies from benefit tried on some of their products and they were amazing. I believe she also used the erase paste, i'm not sure. I do remember boi-ing. Ended up buying nothing since I didn't have that much money to spend ;( aww.